Kingdom gives Lebanon $1bn to defeat terrorism

Updated 08 August 2014

Kingdom gives Lebanon $1bn to defeat terrorism

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has granted $1 billion to help the Lebanese army bolster security as they battle militants who have seized the border town of Arsal on the Syrian frontier, the Saudi Press Agency said.
The king “has issued an order to provide aid to the Lebanese army and the national security (forces) worth $1 billion to support their ability to maintain the security and stability of Lebanon,” said former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri.
Al-Hariri and Lebanese parliamentarians thanked King Abdullah for the gesture and said the Saudi donation would help Lebanese forces crush terrorism.
“Generations of Lebanese people will remember the king’s generous support,” said Al-Hariri.
“King Abdullah is keen on protecting Lebanon and supporting its institutions,” the former premier told reporters in Jeddah. “The king has expressed his solidarity with Lebanese people to combat terrorism and armed groups. He is implementing what he has said in his historic speech last week.”
Machine gunfire and shelling broke out on Wednesday morning on the outskirts of Arsal in breach of the 24-hour cease-fire. “The cease-fire is ongoing, but we are responding to any violations,” a Lebanese security official said about the battle with militants.
At least 17 soldiers have been killed and 22 are missing after violence hit the area in and around Arsal.
Preliminary reports from inside the town suggest that dozens of people have been killed there. Advancing Lebanese troops found the bodies of 50 gunmen on Monday, security sources said, while sources in the town report heavy casualties among its civilian population. Arsal’s mayor Ali Hujeiri said the gunmen were on the outskirts of the town.
“There was a cease-fire, but it is not being implemented,” he said, adding that there appeared to be more militants in the area.
Arsal was the first stop for many civilians fleeing the bloodshed in Syria. Refugee camps in Arsal that provide shelter to tens of thousands of Syrians who fled the war have been badly damaged in the fighting, forcing them to seek shelter in the town itself.
Lebanon’s army chief Gen. Jean Kahwaji said the military was hamstrung in its fight against the jihadis. “This battle requires equipment, materiel and technology that the army does not have,” Kahwaji told the AFP.
“That is why we need to speed up the delivery of military aid by finalizing the list of weapons requested from France under a Saudi-financed deal.”


Saudi ministries initiate localization of transport and logistical services

Updated 23 min 44 sec ago

Saudi ministries initiate localization of transport and logistical services

  • Transport Minister: the MoU was just one step on the path of turning the Kingdom into a global logistics hub

RIYADH: The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding with the Transport Ministry, the Human Resources Development Fund (Hadaf), and the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce to localize transport and logistical services in the Kingdom.
The MoU was co-signed by Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Ahmed Al-Rajhi, Transport Minister Saleh Al-Jasser, Vice Chairman of the Council of the Saudi Chambers of Commerce Tariq Al-Hidi, and Hadaf Director General Turki Al-Jawini.
Al-Rajhi said the MoU would help to achieve a number of important goals in line with Saudi Vision 2030 for the transport and logistics sector, particularly involving young Saudis in “a successful partnership (between) the private sector and civil society institutions.”
The exact roles to be played by each partner have yet to be discussed, but Al-Rajhi stressed their “desire for cooperation and integration to achieve the sought-after national goals.”
Al-Jasser said the MoU was just one step on the path of turning the Kingdom into a global logistics hub. “We are keen to improve all transport and logistical services and activities through employing young local talents, highly skilled minds, and creative and productive human energies in the public and private sectors, in addition to localizing the system’s professions through the integration of efforts,” he said.